Unit PEDOLOGY AND CHEMISTRY OF THE AGRO-ECOSYSTEM

Course
Sustainable agriculture
Study-unit Code
A002178
Curriculum
In all curricula
Teacher
Alberto Agnelli
Teachers
  • Alberto Agnelli
  • Giovanni Gigliotti (Codocenza)
Hours
  • 54 ore - Alberto Agnelli
  • 27 ore (Codocenza) - Giovanni Gigliotti
CFU
9
Course Regulation
Coorte 2022
Offered
2022/23
Learning activities
Caratterizzante
Area
Discipline della fertilità e conservazione del suolo
Academic discipline
AGR/14
Type of study-unit
Obbligatorio (Required)
Type of learning activities
Attività formativa monodisciplinare
Language of instruction
Italian
Contents
Pedology:
Basic knowledge on the fundamental processes of soil genesis, the relationships between soil and environmental factors, the study of the soil in the field.

Environmental and Agricultural Chemistry:
The soil fertility, risk assessment of surface and ground water, mathematical models for evaluation of risk. pesticides and environment.
Reference texts
Pedology:
Slides of the lectures
Certini G. e Ugolini F.C. Basi di Pedologia. Edagricole
Nyle C. Brady e Ray R. Weil - Nature and properties of soils. Prentice Hall. USA

Environmental and Agricultural Chemistry:
Slides of the lectures
Sequi, Ciavatta, Miano. Fondamenti di Chimica del Suolo. Patron Editore. Gennari e Trevisan: Agrofarmaci, conoscenze per un uso sostenibile Perdisa Editore 2008
Vismara et al. Biogas da agrozootecnia e agroindustria. Flaccovio Editore. Italian and UE legislation for fertilizers and pesticides
Educational objectives
Pedology:
The course takes into consideration the basic elements which constitute the soil resource and its functioning. The main objective is to provide the students with all the elements to manage the soil in a sustainable way. The main acquired knowledge will be: factors of soil formation, chemical and physical alteration of minerals, role of soil biota, soil organic matter cycle, pedogenetic processes, soil degradation processes.
At the end of the course the students should be able to recognize a soil type, and to interpret the morphological and analytical information useful to evaluate the soil quality and the environmental sustainability of a given soil use.

Environmental and Agricultural Chemistry:
To know the methods to estimate soil fertility
To know the impact of fertilisers and pesticides on the soil system
To know the impact of fertilisers and pesticides onthe water system To know the rules for pesticides utilisation
To know the possible use of waste-deriving fertilisers
To know the impact of waste-deriving fertilisers on the soil system
To know the impact of sewage sludge on the soil system
To calculate the Predicted environmental concentrations of pesticides
Prerequisites
General and Organic Chemistry, Soil Chemistry
Teaching methods
Lessons in the classroom
Practical training in the field (opening of soil profiles, soil description, interpretation of the morphological data)
Laboratory practices
Seminars
Other information
Attending the lessons is optional, but strongly advised.
Lesson will be held at the Department of Agricultural, Food and Environmental Sciences, Borgo XX Giugno 74, Perugia.
Other info at http://dsa3.unipg.it
Learning verification modality
The learning verification will be carried out by means of an oral examination to be held on the dates available in the Examination Calendar published in the DSA3 website (http://dsa3.unipg.it).
For information on support service for students with disabilities and/or DSA visit the pagehttp://www.unipg.it/disabilita-e-dsa
Extended program
Pedology:
Role of the soil in the natural and anthropic environment; Name and description of the soil horizons; Factors of soil formation; Physical and chemical weathering; alteration and evolution of the soils; proton-donors theory. Soil physical properties (texture, structure and porosity), air and water in soil; Soil mineralogy; Characteristics and dynamic of the soil organic matter; Principal pedogenetic processes; Soil degradation processes; Soil and climate change.

Environmental and Agricultural Chemistry:
Soil fertility and fertilizers. Composting of urban and agricultural wastes. Livestock manure treatment and management. Biogas production and the use in the agriculture of digestate. Risk assessment for surface water and ground water due to the use of pesticides. The behavior of pesticide in the soil. Practices: Agronomical and environmental quality parameters of fertilizers determination; Surface and groundwater quality parameters determination; Pesticide residues determination in water and soil
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